Final Fantasy XIII 1. Chapter 1: Prologue: One step closer

FFXIII: Out of the Darkness

So hey guys, some of you might already know me from my fanfic "Bond of Fate". If you don't well, welcome to my second fanfic. If you have the time please do check out my first one and review. Now to explain a few things: This fanfic is HopeXLightning centered. And well the time is set ten years after Cocoon fell and everyone turned into crystal. Well let's just say that Hope was the first to wake after about two years and in these two years the whole world of Pulse has changed. Well then before we start I have to admit that I only played the game to the point of Gapra Whitewood until you switch to play Sazh and Vanille. The characters will be OOC and I just interpret them as I picture them to be so don't complain.

Now on with the story shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own anything besides of the story and plot.

Chapter 1-Prologue: One step closer

It was cold and raining in the relatively new city. New Cocoon it was called, seeing as it practically expanded around the crystalized orb. Somewhere in that city, sitting on the windowsill of an apartment in the 23th floor, was a man.

He sat still, not moving. One could assume him to be dead or a statue of some sorts, if it weren't for some weak green shine that his eyes emitted as they watched the streets below. That was not the only green thing though. On his left hand was a brand that shone with a green light, the light seemingly coursing through his veins. A greater bundle of the light shone from his right hand as the man flexed it, making the faint glow wander along the walls. The man himself was clad in black, a black coat, black fingerless gloves, black trousers, and shirt, almost everything. While he himself was clad in mostly black, his skin was rather pale and his hair was a unique shade of silver. His skin seemed smooth yet scars were visible. His hair was shoulder length, spiky at the back, spikes flowing upwards while the front was covered by two strands of his hair flowing down his face at each side. It hid his face, eyes, hollow yet sharp emitting the aura of a predator.

Yet from one look one could tell that the man was used to death and killing. On his back was a gunblade with the length of 2.5 feet. The blade was unusually long for a gunblade and seemingly made for mid to long-range combat. It had the shape of a six-chamber revolver with blades running along the barrel. The blades ran further than the barrel itself and the chambers were not emptied at the side so it seemed. It had some kind of channels that led the empty shells of to the sides, yet the channels were on both sides, which is unusual. Right after the chambers was a small part that had another chamber yet that one served another purpose. It glowed with the same green light as the man and seemed to power the weapon with some kind of energy. It was a mysterious weapon indeed, yet it was rather beautiful. It had runes and designs carefully running along the sides, and onto the handle.

On his hip was a smaller gunblade inside of its sheath, as clean and shining as if unused. Not much could be guessed from the weapon as it was inside of a sheath but the sheath itself was covered in skillful designs, hinting at the fact that it certainly wasn't cheap.

On his right wrist was a chain that ran around his wrist, glowing like his veins. On the chain were runes hanging off the chain. What its purpose was could only be guessed as one would be none the wiser from its looks.

A necklace graced his neck, hid behind his shirt, poking it out. On his right ear was a silver earring, or rather clip on earring. It looked like a rectangular piece, again graced by runes and designs.

All in all the man seemed dangerous yet he didn't. His eyes scanned the streets below him uninterested, yet aware. The man was waiting for something that much was for sure. And after a while one found out what for. His earring was apparently no simple earring, not that it was surprising. It started beeping and immediately the man turned his attention to it and said:

"Yes?" his voice was smooth and calm, holding the air of wisdom beyond his age.

"Are you the Assassin?" a voice asked from within the earring which was in fact a communicator.

"What do you need?"

"Sir, we have information about a new target. Neil Clearwater is his name. 'Bout 6'3", dark short hair and light brown eyes. He has a scar on his left cheekbone. He might have information about that you would be interested in. He is currently on his way to the Apartment B48 in Sector S5."

The man ran his thumb over his lips and in thought.

"Time?"

"The Target is currently on his way. He will arrive at 2050 and meet with an acquaintance of his at 2100. I trust you to be able to locate and eliminate your target accordingly?"

"Of course. Any specific whishes like before the acquaintance arrives or make it look like an accident?"

"Try to take out the target after the meeting, maybe we will be able to get more information that way. We need the target alive, do you copy? We need the target alive."

"Copy, interrogation and all that crap right?" the man said with an almost bored tone. He got up and prepared himself to jump out of the window when he heard one last thing.

"And Estheim, do try and keep the target in a state where we can interrogate him will ya?"

Smirking the man called Estheim replied:

"We'll see 'bout that. Depends on how he behaves. Over and Out." with that he jumped.

Somewhere else:

A man laid down his communicator and sighed.

"That Estheim really is a handful."

Somewhere in the back a man laughed a low throaty laugh. Stepping out of the shade he put a hand on his shoulder and said:

"He might be a handful but he's the best we got. Probably the best there is, learned from Farron after all. You are dismissed soldier."

"Yes sir, Lieutenant Amodar sir!" the soldier said and saluted, then left.

"Such a shame things had to turn out this way. The kid would have had such a bright future. So much happiness crushed in a mere blink of an eye. Farron, I sure hope you wake up soon, the kid needs you like never before." The Lieutenant said to himself and left the room too, lost in memories.

Opposite building of B48, S5:

The silver haired man jumped down the roof opposite of B48 and calmly stood on the street waiting. He had a rope in hand and was carelessly tossing it up and catching it in his hand. Checking his watch he went in.

Once inside he looked around. It was a warehouse, nothing more nothing less. Seeing a dark corner he went there and just stood against the wall, his form blending into the shadows even with silver hair.

Not long after footsteps could be heard. A man clad in a uniform was seen walking into the room. Black hair, bout 6'3", scar on his left cheekbone that was his target. Smirking, the Assassin called Estheim stepped out of the shadows. Silently he approached the man from behind. Although it might be useful to wait for his acquaintance the Assassin did not have the time to wait. Finally making his presence known he said:

"Never turn your back onto your enemy."

The man turned around frantically and his eyes widened.

"Who are you?"

A creepy smile appeared on Estheim's face.

"I, I am no one. I am merely your worst nightmare."

With that he rushed at the frightened man and hit him with two fingers into the solar plexus. Coughing and cringed. Before the man could do anything he got hit on the shoulders where the nerves were flowing. His body tensed up as he could move neither muscle nor limb. Roughly a cloth was bound around his mouth and kept him from making any noises. Estheim bound his hands and feet together as he kept some of the rope to use as some kind of leash. Done with his job he dragged the bound man out of the warehouse like a dog.

In a military Base in New Cocoon:

Lieutenant Amodar sat behind his desk, sipping at his steaming hot cup of coffee as he could hear someone shout:

"Sir you are not allowed to go in there, the Lieutenant does not want to be disturbed. Please keep away from the door."

Before the door even opened he already knew who was behind it. Setting his cup down he sat back and smiled. Just like Farron that kid.

As the door opened the Lieutenant was surprised to see him drag something with him. Stopping in the doorframe he threw the thing that turned out to be a bound man, into the room. Jep, definitely like Farron.

"There's your target. Let me know about the progress and get me my reward." He said with a bored tone.

Maybe not everything like Farron.

"Hope, good to see you are well. Your reward will be sent to your account immediately. Any information you were able to gather?"

"No. I took the target before the acquaintance came." Hope said.

Sighing Amodar replied: "Well, he'll just have to do then. I have arranged for you to be taken off of our services for a while. I think that you need a little time to relax. I know that actually you are no part of GC but seeing as you are the best Assassin we have you might as well be. You won't be given any contracts for at least a week."

Hope looked him square in the face and after a while he nodded.

"Thank you Lieutenant Amodar, sir. Is there anything else you need from me?" he asked.

"Not that I know."

As Hope made to leave he halted in his step as he heard the Lieutenant say:

"Oh Hope one last thing, Serah came here yesterday and asked about you. I told her that you were fine and asked me to tell you that they would like you to come visit again someday when you have time."

The Lieutenant could see him tense up for a moment before relaxing as he said:

"I'll think about it."

Then he left.

Sighing Amodar said to himself:

"That kid sure is a handful. They even have to ask him to visit, his own friends. I've got absolutely no clue how you managed to raise him without exhausting like that."

Yes "Lightning" Claire Farron was on his mind a lot. How couldn't she, she was one of the best soldiers he ever trained and was like a daughter to him. Such a shame she was still in crystal stasis. It has been about ten years now.

Ten years since the fall and ten years since the l'Cie were crystalized. Serah and Dazh were already awake by then. Two years after them Hope awoke. By then Amodar had already arranged for Serah and Dazh to live in a house in New Bodhum.

One year later Hope's father, Bartholomew Estheim, had been found. The reunion was supposed to be a happy one, but when father and son were about to embrace it happened. Out of nowhere a man came and shot Hope's father in the chest. Before anyone can react Bartholomew was dead and the mysterious man was aiming to kill Hope. With great effort they managed to save Hope but unfortunately his father could not be saved.

About a month later Snow and Sazh woke up from Crystal Stasis. While everyone reunited Hope himself distanced himself up onto the point that he vanished for periods of time.

A few months after his father's death Hope asked Amodar to train him and under a lot of pleading he caved in. After 3 years he completed his training and was one of the most skilled fighters in New Cocoon. Soon after that he vanished for half a year and then reappeared in front of Amodar asking for help. When he reappeared he had changed completely. Amodar didn't know what happened to him but he changed, even more than after his father's death. He has become cold and distant, almost not talking at all. He had all this new technical stuff like new weapons, ultra-light armor, a communicator with the size of an earring and plans of technology that gravely helped the development of New Cocoon. Again he asked Amodar for help, but this time it was about his father. Since then they have followed any trails that could lead to the mysterious killer of Bartholomew Estheim.

Inside a hotel room:

The hotel room was dark, only one room was lit. The bathroom. Inside, under the shower, Hope sat, looking up and letting the water fall around him.

"Dad… I will find the man who murdered you. I know it won't take long and we will have him. Finally I will be able to get some answers and let you rest in peace." Hope said, a tear falling down his eyes.

Yeah that's it for the Prologue. So as you have noticed it is Hope-centered and don't worry Lightning will make her entrance soon. Can't have my story running missing a main character right? Now, please review, and tell me what you think about it. And while you're already at it, maybe you can tell me what you think will happen in this story and I might give hints here or there, if they're not revealing too much. Yep, that's it for today, stay tuned and watch out for updates. I hope to see you again, until then, Cheerio!


	2. Chapter 2: Visions and Dreams

FFXIII: Out of the Darkness

Greets people, thx a whole lot for reviewing to my story. Even though one person indicated that the degree of OOC fullness in this fanfic is insane I have to admit, I am in no way a sane person. After all, we ARE all insane right, in one or the other way everyone's insane, right? Even though we don't think ourselves that we're insane we are, all of us. Now back to the story. I wanted to say thanks soo much for reviewing everyone and yeah to those who wondered whether I got things planned out, yep I actually do. At least the plotline I got. In this chapter Lightning most likely will show up… I think… haven't written the chap yet… let's just see. Now let's get this thing rolling!

Disclaimer: actually… I don't need one anymore right? I got it in the first chap so look there.

Chapter 2: Visions and Dreams

It was a silent night, no sounds were made as, engulfed by his nightmare, a man was tossed and turned.

He was fourteen again, young and foolish. He was still in the middle of his recent loss and already he has been thrown into the next hardship. He was branded an l'Cie and together with others went on his journey. One thing particular went into mind. The day she promised to protect him. That very day he had promised exactly the same. That he would protect her, be there for her, look out for her. And now, all of this seemed so surreal. He knew that he probably never would protect her the way she protected him but to make up for that he supported her in any way possible. He truly believed it then, believed her to protect him, be there for him whenever he needed her. Yet, it was all meaningless. He did not blame her, but when the moment came he needed her the most, she was not meant to break free.

After breaking free of his crystal chains he was once again free. He was not sure how much time has passed but seeing as he was the first to wake he felt… alone. As he went into the city that stretched out in front of him, he wondered whether it was there for a long time. Not soon after he was able to locate the GC and managed to find Serah and Dajh. Barely a few months later he got used to living in New Cocoon and had established a stable daily routine. Soon he went looking for his father. Thanks to Serah knowing someone of high ranking in the GC they were able to locate his father after only half a year. Happy for him to be alive the boy could barely wait to reunite but had to though. Even though they managed to locate and contact his father it took them another month to arrange a meeting.

Finally the day came, Hope would see his father again, he would finally be able to properly say how much he loved his dad, how much he missed him… so many things he wanted to tell him. Even after all the hardships he had to endure and after earning his peace, it was not meant to be. Before he could even reach his dad it happened. A memory of red filled his mind. The blood of his father had clung to him, warm, wet and sticky. After freeing all of his emotions, wanting nothing more than to hug his father and to just let go of all his worries for just a moment, he lost it all. A deep pain ran through his heart, his mind not able to comprehend, only dully watch as everything took place.

A silver haired boy was in a medical room, dressed in a hospital grown. After going into shock he went into a coma. One month it has last. Then when he finally awoke, everything seemed to just go downhill. He had nightmares, visions, illusions. It haunted him, day and night, when he was awake and when he was sleeping. Nothing seemed to help, no sleep, no staying awake, nothing. The only thing that could have done anything then was Lightning, but she was restrained from giving comfort. Slowly, awfully slowly, he began to lose it. Every day seemed to be a horror and every night seemed like hell. He often whished for his death, just wishing it to stop but it never did. With time it got worse, he would flee into a corner to hide from the shadows that haunted him and in the next he would run out of that room, scared of the room and its contents. This would go on until they had to eventually chain him to a bed. The time was hard, collapsing and blacking out was normal for him. And then when it was the worst it suddenly changed. It changed as sudden as the moment he should have reunited with his father. From the best thing to happen to the worst memory he had. Just like that Hope had changed. No slow and painful recovery. One day he seemed to have recovered his sanity. He was dull and lifeless, but sane.

From then he lived with Serah and Dajh but it couldn't really be called living with them. He stayed in his room for long periods but that was not the thing that was different. He would just disappear from time to time. First it was seldom and then more and more often. First only being a couple of hours at the max turned into days without anyone knowing where he was. Not even three months after his father's death, one spent in coma, one in the hospital and finally one with Serah and Dajh, he vanished completely. After a month Hope came back. He was like a complete different person, silent and cold.

The man in question was having a nightmare, a completely different nightmare, one he never had before:

In front of his eyes flashbacks flew at him.

"Don't worry Hope, I'll protect you, I promise." Lightning said and went to go.

"Lightning, then I'll protect you too!" Hope exclaimed.

Lightning ruffled his hair and the smallest of smiles graced her features.  
>"Light." She stated.<p>

"Huh?"

"Call me Light." She repeated.

"Why don't you let me take point?" Hope shyly asked.

"You think you're up to it?" she asked.

"I think I can handle it." He answered with a look of determination in his eyes.

"Okay, you take point then. You watch the front and I'll cover our backs." She said another small smile on her lips. She was proud of him.

"Hope, when I say go I want you to turn and run away from here. Don't look back and never stop, got that?" she said a serious expression on her face.

"Light? What do you… no! I won't leave you alone." He protested.

"Go!" she said and just like that, the whole situation took a turn.

This time he saw something he could not recall.

Everything was black. And then suddenly there was a light, a pink light. A flash and then it cleared. Hope could see Lightning' sleeping form, chained inside of a cocoon made out of crystal. He slowly approached and when he was right in front of it, he put his right hand onto the surface, as if to touch her face. The moment his fingers touched crystal, her eyes flew open. He wanted to back away out of reflex but he suppressed it, instead choosing to look her straight in the eyes. She lifted her hands and attempted to touch where his hand touched the crystal. Barely an inch away, the chains restrained her from touching. He could see her eyes widen as she looked at the restrains. She struggled to touch, to break free but she couldn't. Hope could only stare as she struggled. She seemed to accept the fact that she was bound and looked at him again. Reaching as far as she could, he heard her say

"Hope."

As her arms fell loosely to her sides. Then just like that, the crystal tomb seemed to go back into the dark. Realizing that she went away again, Hope struggled to touch but he could feel a hand grasp him and stopping him from going to her. He struggled against the hand, not wanting to let her go but deep inside he already knew it was in vain. As the distance between them grew all he could remember was the look of sadness in her eyes as she was taken away. Darkness, and then one sound, that was all there was. Her voice, as clear as water and as bright as the moon, rang through the darkness. One word was all she uttered:

"Hope."

With a cry of

"Light!"

The man awoke. Drenched in sweat, ragged breaths escaping him. He had his survival knife firmly grasped in his hand. HER survival knife. It was a birthday present Serah gave her to her 21st. He never used it once, always wore it as a sign of respect. He drew it a few times, but even then he never used it. Getting out of bed he went and took a shower. There, underneath the water, head pressed against the wall, he suddenly sensed his being called.

"Light." He said and with that he made up his mind.

He knew something happened and the place he was pulled to had something to do with it. Determined and ready to go, he put the knife into its sheath and stepped out into the day.

Somewhere else in New Cocoon:

"Claire!" a pink haired woman exclaimed.

She was now 28, and married. One look and one would see the resemblance between her and Lightning. They were sisters after all. Serah Farron Villiers, sister of Lightning Claire Farron, awoke, having had a nightmare about her sister. Next to her, her husband, Snow Villiers, rose from sleep and looked at her.

"Serah, what is it?" he asked with a concerned voice.

"I had something like a vision, about Claire. I think something's going to happen soon." She said looking at Snow.

"Don't worry Serah; I'm sure she'll be alright." Snow tried to reassure her and put his arms around her.

"I wonder if the others had any vision like me. Did you?" she asked.

"Well I didn't exactly have a vision but I dreamt that she was standing outside of New Cocoon and watched the city. Weird I would say, but seeing as you had one as well we should try and ask Sazh and Hope."

At the mentioning of Hope a silence fell between them, but was soon broken by the sound of a ring.

"Hello? Serah? I just wanted to call because, well, I had a strange dream. I saw your sister and somehow she was in a camp and talking with someone I couldn't really see. It's strange you know, dreaming stuff like that."

Serah's eyes widened and she looked at Snow.

"We, meaning Snow and me, had dreams as well. Do you know about Hope?" she asked worriedly.

Sazh sighed.

"I tried to call him but he wouldn't answer his phone. I left him a message though. "

They all fell silent.

"Maybe we should ask Lt. Amodar to tell Hope about it. I am sure it will be alright."

"Okay. Thanks Sazh." Serah answered.

"Don't worry Serah, I'll manage that with Amodar, you just sit back and wait. I'll see you around then."

"Yeah." She said and hung up.

Looking outside she murmured:  
>"I hope he'll be alright."<p>

Somewhere within the depths of Lightning's mind, she felt an unexpected sensation.

She didn't know why or how but somehow she was awoken. Awoken and taken away from Hope. Fourteen year old Hope. Why was it him that awoke her? She didn't have a clue; the only thing she knew was that after that she was more or less assaulted by visions. Little flashes in front of her eyes as she struggled against the chains:

She was watching the outskirts of a big city, the only city anywhere near from where she currently was. The sun was setting and she had no provisions or anything with her. Only the things on her body were there. She had crossed her arms and was just watching the city that she was unfamiliar with. In the middle of it was the crystalized Cocoon.

She sat at a campfire, just gazing into it and was talking with someone she couldn't see. A tent was opposite of her and a bag was in front of it. Out of the corners of her eyes she could see the person she was talking to looking up at the stars, but his face was hidden. In her lap was her gunblade which, to her dismay hat suffered a few severe scratches.

Lightning was in a battle stance and attacked something that seemed to resemble a behemoth but had visible differences. It's hide was covered in plates with razor sharp ends and it's claws and tail seemed to gleam with a bright white-blue light. It charged at her and she barely dodged its attack, falling to the ground in the process. Before she could get up it was about to smash her when the man she was travelling with intervened. He blocked the blow for her, struggling against the beast. Glancing back he asked:  
>"Are you alright?" his voice was concerned but focused. She could vaguely remember a voice that resembled that of the man but it just wouldn't come to her.<p>

Her vision went black only to return to a cry:

"Watch out!"

As she turned and saw a blade aimed at her. It tried to stab her but the man once again put himself between her and the blade. This time though he wasn't fast enough to deflect or block the blade. It struck him in the chest, going through and out of the other side.

A moment of darkness, the man that stabbed her traveling companion was dead somewhere out of her sight and her companion was bleeding. She tried to stop the bleeding with her hands but it didn't work. Any cure that she tried to use wouldn't work and she grabbed hold of the piece of a blade that was still stuck inside of him. Her vision blurred as tears fell from her eyes. He put a comforting hand on hers and together they pulled out the blade in his chest.

why was it that her vision always seemed to black out...all she could see was her companion try and protect her as he was shot. Blood splattered on her face as she fell into a momentary shock. She touched her face with her hand and saw it coated in blood. Staring at it her eyes widened and she hastily looked at her companion. His grip on his sword was lessening and his stance was shaky.

She screamed and there was darkness. She was back in the crystal tomb and while she dreamt she unconsciously fought against the restrains. As she cried they gave way and shattered. She broke through the tomb and was now lying face down in the darkness. Looking up a light seemed to grow in her vision as it slowly engulfed her whole. She felt light, nothing at all. She was levitating, weightless and then she crashed back down.

While in the inside she was having a nightmare, her outside was not left motionless:

The crystal of Lightning had begun to crack and slowly but surely it shattered. Her limb body fell onto the earth and lay motionless. Lightning opened her eyes as her vision slowly focused. Nature surrounded her; she could hear birds and the soft blowing of wind as it graced the grass. She saw the sun in the afternoon and felt tired. She could move neither limb nor muscle and as slowly darkness claimed her again, her eyes shut and she lost consciousness.

So this is my new chap, hope you like it and yeah, Lightning made her entrance. Okay not really an entrance yet but next chap she'll definitely be there. Yeah if you have any questions, things that you just HAVE to get off of your mind or just want to appreciate my work, please feel free to review. If you want to make sure you won't miss anything just alert me or the story and if you feel particularly generous add me or the story to your favorites. Hope we'll see each other again soon, until then Shinku out!


	3. Chapter 3: Helpful Stranger

FFXIII: Out of the Darkness

Seeing as I have a little bit more of free time, I decided to write another chap. Don't expect them to come this fast when school's started though. So I wrote this chap on the same day I upped the last one so I don't actually know how you guys will react. But, I think that I will up this one next week or so, depending on when I have time and when I think that it'd be right to do so. Now without further talk, let's dive into the story.

Chapter3: Helpful stranger

Hope was now barely an hour's march away from where they were frozen in crystal. He had decided against using a velocycle and instead chose to go by foot. This way he had enough time to think about things. He could remember the last time they talked, before she was a crystal, he could remember the last time he talked to her after he awoke. It was barely a week ago and here was again, already going to be on her nerves again.

Hope went up the hill where her crystal statue stood, still and lonely but with grace and pride. He took his gunblade and stuck it into the earth before her and kneeled. Hands still on the blade, head resting against it he began to speak:

"Light, I know it's been a while since I last visited and I'm really sorry for that but I have been busy. We, meaning the Corps and me, have been tracking the murderer of my father. Lately we have found out about someone who could know something but somehow we can't locate him yet. But we're working on it, hard and I've got no doubt that we will find him, I will find him.

I think Serah's about to get worried and ask Amodar about me again. She really misses you Light, they all do… I miss you. I wonder how you will react if you were to wake up now. I know I somehow ask that every time I visit but well I can't help it. Serah is actually 28 now, 7 years your senior. Would be kind of shocking to be the Little Sister now wouldn't it? Seven years… just the gap we used to have. I, well I am actually older than you now, a proud 22. Actually if they were to add the years we spent in crystal stasis you'd be 31 already and well me, I'd be 24. Almost 25 almost got quarter of a century on my back. But the higher ups said that they only count the years we spent living, as if we were dead when we were frozen.

But well, then Fang and Vanille would be more than half a millennia old. Even they have awoken. I don't know when exactly or how, but they just vanished. I could remember a dream and when I arrived there Cocoon was still on the crystal pillar but they were gone. I don't know why they went without telling us where they went but I think they just thought it was another 500 years and we were probably already dead. I spent a year looking for them, looking for answers and coming to terms with this mess. I never found a trace once but all it led to was a dead end. I promise that when you wake up I will be here; I won't miss you, not this time."

Hope stood at the foot of the hill, looking at its peak. Out of some reason he hesitated. Could it be fear? Fear of the fact that it really was as it seemed, just a dream? That could be it. He could be afraid, but nonetheless he was determined to venture forth. Steeling himself against whatever might await him up there, he went up the hill at a steady pace. Though what awaited him up there was something he did not expect.

When he arrived at the top of the hill, Lightning was lying on the ground, unconscious. He ran up to her and immediately checked her pulse. It was there, calm, steady but still faint. Looking her over he could see at first glance what the problem was. What did he expect, her being the soldier she was, of course she'd be more of a fighting nature. She being herself fought to get out of crystal stasis as fast as possible and so she hadn't completely decrystallized and was thus left with part of her hair, arm, shoulder, down to the chest area still coated in a layer of crystal. He knew how it feels to awaken from stasis and him having learnt from her he too had a little bit of crystal on him when he awoke. It was just his left arm onto his chest area though. Not as much as her. And he knew from experience that the melting process of the crystals hurt like hell.

He laid out a bedroll and put up the tent. Gently he laid her inside and waited for her to awaken. Seeing as it would be dark soon he set up a campfire, gathered water and cooked something for him and a little bit for her to eat once she awoke. Done with the preparations he sat down opposite of the tent, facing away into the wilderness. His blade was stuck into the earth next to him, ready to get into action should the situation arise. His eyes searched the plains, watchful eyes looking for any movement. His experiences during his life had taught him to always be ready to fight and to watch not only with the eyes but with his other senses as well. With his eyes he would watch for movement, with his ears he would hear for any sound that indicated danger, with his skin he would feel the resonances of the earth beneath him, warning him if anything tried to approach. His nose would make him aware of any scent that was not from those he wanted to protect, he would watch out with every sense he had.

Thus it was not surprising that he soon heard a rustling from inside the tent and was aware of his charge awakening.

Inside the resting place of the unconscious woman, she was slowly starting to stir:

Pain was the first thing she felt, pain and a sick dryness of her throat that were the first signs of awaking from a crystal. Breathing hurt, swallowing hurt, everything hurt. Her muscles were stiff and sore from being frozen for so long, her mind was still foggy and her body did not have any sense for time. After painfully opening her eyes she found herself in something that resembled a tent. Taking a few moments to regain feeling in her limbs, she slowly sat up. As she tried to stand up, her knees gave way and she fell back down. Pain shot through her, and for the first time since she awoke she could smell nature. She lay motionless, smelling the fresh scent of the nature of Pulse as her vision slowly adjusted and her mind started to work again. Trying again, she sat up and after a few minutes managed to get onto her wobbly feet. Still tired but sick of sleeping she started to go out of the tent, step by step, fighting for every inch of progress against her screaming limbs.

As she managed to get outside her eyes were assaulted by a bright light and she had to shield her eyes from the light. A few moments later she could see a campfire and a man sitting with his back to her. Slowly putting her arm down she inspected it, seeing as it was still coated in crystal that started to crack with every movement, slowly melting and sending a numb pain to her brain although she could barely feel it anymore.

"Finally awake, are you?" the man said.

She looked at him, his voice having some kind of calming effect on her. She cautiously narrowed her eyes and went closer to the campfire. She couldn't see anything that could give away his identity or give her some hint to who he was seeing as he kept his head under a hood.

He stood up and gave her some food, never taking his eyes off the plains. Once he was done he went back to observe the terrain, standing at the edge of the camp.

She looked at the foot critically, asking herself whether to eat the food and sate her hunger and risk being opposed to whatever he could have put into it, or risk starving to death before she even started to adjust to being out of stasis.

Slightly tilting his head Hope said:

"You don't have to worry about me putting anything into your food, after all why should I put you into a tent and wait for you to awake only to poison you?"

It made sense so she slowly began to eat. As the first bite entered her mouth millions of sensations went through her. Although the food itself was not like a gourmet meal, it was the best thing she could recall ever eating. After being in stasis for so long she would say that anything would taste like heaven but still, it's taste was magnificent. Like thousands of little sparks prickling on her tongue, sending shivers down her body only for a wave of heat to rise from within and run all over her body. As she closed her eyes and savored the sensation she was taken out of her bliss by the man saying something:

"Great isn't it? After staying in the crystal for such a long time anything tastes like absolute heaven, even a tiny drop of water tastes so sweet, that one would doubt it to be just water."

She looked at him and wondered who he was. Speaking like he knows out of experience she wonders whether he was an l'Cie too. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't recall seeing any of her friends' crystals when she woke up. Did that mean that she was the last to wake? How long has it been since the fall? Where were the others, were they safe, was her sister out of stasis? So many questions and yet she did not have any answers. Deciding to ask the man about anything that he might know she asked with her voice barely above a whisper:

"How long has it been, since the fall?"

"The fall, must have been ten years now. I don't know exactly but from what I know it'd be ten years."

She nodded and a silence fell between them. Suddenly the man spoke up:

"That's it, no more questions about how your friends have been or anything? You disappoint me." He said with a chuckle.

A flicker of hope emerged from within her, a hope of getting answers of them being alright of all of this turning out okay. Frantically, like a little child she asked:

"Do you know them? Are they alright? How have they been? Where are they? Do they know about me? Has anything changed?"

The man chuckled, laughed even, something he hadn't done in ages. Sighing he sat back down and relaxed a little.

"Slow down there Miss. I will answer all of your questions, one at the time. Now, to your first question whether I know them. I would say so, before the fall we were quite the bunch, with all the things that happened to us, we were like family. But after the fall, things changed and I distanced myself, you can ask them yourself when you meet them, can't be sticking with me all the time.

They are fine by the way, at least as fine as you can be out here. Serah and Snow are married and live together, they actually wanted to wait until you were back but seeing as you didn't turn up for years they married before and hope you'll be alright with it. They don't have any kids yet though, Serah kind of knew that you'd wake up soon. Sazh and Dajh are living together too, them being getting around pretty good, although his son was now 16. Dajh having lived with Serah for the time Sazh was still frozen persisted on living near her so they and Snow and Serah live pretty nearby to each other. Lt. Amodar has managed to reestablish the GC, him being the head of it but still persisting on holding the title of Lieutenant as a remainder of his best soldier.

All in all they are doing pretty okay. They more or less have established a routine and have gotten used to living in here. They live in the New Bodhum Sector of New Cocoon, somewhere in the middle of the sector, around a small park. As to them knowing about you, well I suspect they have a gut feeling but I don't think they know about you being awake yet. But they do worry about you, you know? Serah's well Serah and somehow she'll manage to get through it. I'd visit them soon if I were you, before she rips out half of New Cocoon because of her gut feeling.

Well, about things having changed, I think you can answer that yourself. Life has gotten even harder out here. The native monsters have developed and have toughened up. Life for us humans is rough, fighting for every bit of possession we can, meanwhile trying to keep things in order. But well, having the guys from GC and NORA helping out, plus the ex-l'Cie certainly gives us an edge. You'll get used to it real quick so don't worry."

After finishing his little speech he was silent, an air of melancholy on him. Lighting was deciding whether to speak or not but then she just had to voice this one question:

"What about Hope? You haven't told me anything about him, yet." she asked a little shyly, not quite sure whether she wanted to know, because of all the possible things that could have happened to him.

The man sighed and after a while he slowly began to speak:

"Hope, good old Hopey, forgot bout him, huh? Well he has been more or less alright I guess. Heard he lost his dad long time ago. They say it was about a year after he awoke, took ages to find the kid's old man. They were supposed to reunite when it happened, so they say. Don't know much about it sorry. But what I do know is that he went kind of insane after that. And then one day, he just disappeared. If you wanna know more I'd say that you better ask the others bout it, I'm in no way the right man to tell you bout those things."

Lightning was silent. Would anything have changed if she would have been awake then? Probably not, after all what could she have done? But still, she could not help but feel that it might have turned out better if she were there. Now, he was lost, somewhere in the world of Pulse and one didn't even know if he was still alive. Then, thinking back at their old days, she had another question:

"What about Vanille and Fang? Did they wake up too, after all everyone else woke up?"

It was curiosity but somehow she hoped that if they were fine too, somehow they surely would have managed to help him. Vanille was always the one to cheer people up after all.

"That is a mystery. After a dream I went looking for them, but I was too late. When I arrived at the crystal pillar that held Cocoon up, they were no longer there. They too, vanished. I spent a year looking for them but never found them. The only trace I ever found turned out to be a dead end." He said, sadness covering his voice.

"I see." She said, lost in thought, when suddenly she realized something:

"Who are you? Why do you know about all of us and why are you helping me?"

"I cannot tell you my name but all the people that contact me call me The Assassin. Let's just say I an old friend told me a few things and asked me to look out for a few things. That is all that I can tell you for now. Please respect my privacy and do not dwell in my past unless it is needed."

She nodded and although she didn't know him, decided to trust him for the time being.

"We will depart in the morning, for now, rest, I will take watch." He said and was silent.

Deciding against voicing anything she just went to bed and did what he told her to. Usually she would never take commands from anyone, only those she knew who were her superiors but she was pretty tired after all. Plus she had to process all the info she had just absorbed.

Yeah, that's the new one, hope you like it. If you have any constructive critics please tell me and if you don't, well just a review will do too. Like always, R&R, Subscribe, Alert and so on and of course stay tuned for the ups. I hope we will meet again, until then Shinku's taking his leave.


	4. Chapter 4: Who I am,

FFXIII: Out of the Darkness

Chapter 4: Who I am,

As Lightning went to rest Hope remained awake, content to just sit out there and keep watch for anything that might attack them. Actually that wasn't needed anymore, seeing as one could easily sense if anything went and made even the slightest of noises in the distance. He was just sitting there to process everything that just happened.

"She is just like I remember." He thought, a little scuff like laugh escaping him. "Of course she is, was frozen for 10 years. You didn't change when you woke up either."

"But then again, right now she is more different than ever before. Right now she isn't treating me like a lost child or someone who is under the protection of her wing, no, right now, it is the other way around. Even then she is surprisingly _open_ for her being Lightning. Maybe it's just because I know her that I think so, though. Still, she is more different than I ever expected. She might be just like back then, but that is just exactly what is out of place for her. She lacks her cold shell. Maybe she lost it long ago and I just didn't notice. That seems to be most plausible."

He sighed and let his head fall into his arms that were currently resting upon his upright knees.

"I have imagined it so often and yet I never came close. After all this time, I haven't seen her for eight years and when I finally do, I can't believe I was or rather am quite scared. Such a long time, and yet it passed in a blur. Sometimes it was agonizingly slow and then it was so fast, I wonder whether I haven't missed out something. I am not the only one; Serah will want to see her too. After I check in at Amodar, I guess I'll drop her off there, next stop, Residence of Serah Villiers. Ah great, just great. I haven't let her hear from me for months, and now I finally do have to show. She's gonna kill me. But then again, Light might just be the distraction I need to get away unscathed."

While Hope was having a nice conversation with himself, Lightning couldn't quite fall asleep:

"_She is just like I remember."_ a voice stirred her from her brief rest.

While on one side she wanted to punch the voice for disturbing her rest, the more dominant side of her was taken by curiosity. Slowly yet agonizingly she tried to sit up. The feeling of pain quickly pushed the thought of sitting up out of her mind and so she chose to crane her neck to at least see what the strange man was up to. Turning her head she was only able to slightly peek through the small gap that left her tent open.

There he sat, the mysterious stranger, sitting across from the small fire they lit for the night. He sat there and was talking to himself. His hood still hid his face from her view, successfully rendering her unable to identify him. What she could see though, is that he held onto something that was very familiar to her. Something she gave to someone special, to protect him. The object that the stranger held oh so tenderly in his hand was the survival knife her sister gave her to her 21st birthday. This of course alerted her to full attention and she, driven by adrenaline, managed to sit up.

Outside, Hope was just about to put away the knife Lightning gave him in Gapra Whitewoods, when he heard her sit up. Patiently he waited for her to say something or do something. He knew she wanted to do something or she wouldn't have gotten up. He could tell that a talk was about to be held so he decided that, seeing as she would be the one demanding answers, she would be the one to talk first.

Lightning managed to drag herself up, more or less painless due to her adrenaline, as she went out of the tent. Slowly she managed to stumble up to the fire and she stood as good as she could, arms crossed, trying to build up her cold shell.

Hope turned away and put the knife into its sheath. His back facing her, he looked up at the sky and watched the stars. There were usually many of them but tonight it seemed like only a few were visible. Stars are little lights that shine when darkness comes to haunt us. The moon is like everything that we cherish, everything we believe in, all that we fight for, put into a large big orb. When we are uncertain, confused or are beginning to lose hope, the moon starts to fade into a crescent. When our believes are the strongest, we are determined to accomplish what we seek, the moon shines at its brightest, the full moon graces us.

Having waited enough, Lightning decides to speak up:

"Who are you?"

A simple question, yet something that was more complex than it seemed. 

"Who I am, you couldn't have taken any harder question could you? The answer to who I am is more difficult than you might see. You see, during all the time that I have spent in this world I have come to realize that the simplest of questions demands the most complex answers. So if I were to answer your question to your satisfaction, I would have to tell you about my whole life show you my personality and show you how I think. That would be far too much to tell you so I would have to show you, which would need a large amount of time, time that we don't have. So I will just answer the easy question of the two which would be my name. That I already told you, my name is The Assassin. Next question Miss Farron."

She was stunned to hear that from the man. He seemed to have been through a lot and his voice spoke of hardship and loss. Through his pain he seemed to have gained wisdom that is far superior to his age. She took her time to form her next question as she slowly spoke up:

"That knife, it looks like the one I got to my 21st birthday, the one I gave to Hope. How come you have it?"

He smirked and with a practiced motion he withdrew the knife from its sheath and held it out for her to see.

"Well indeed, I guess it does look like yours, it is in fact. This is the very same survival knife your sister Serah gave you to your 21st birthday, the very same you gave to Hope Estheim in Gapra Whitewood. It is the very same that was almost used to kill Snow Villiers."

She visibly tensed up and tried to ball her fists, if it weren't for the fact that she didn't have the strength or the feeling in her arms to do so. Trying to sound harsh she failed terribly as she only managed to make her voice sound almost scared:

"How do you know about all that? How is it that you know and hold that knife in your hand? I know Hope would never give it to anyone without good reason. He cherishes it too much."

It was unusual for her voice to sound so scared, afraid of what might have happened. Hope would laugh about the irony of the situation if it weren't for the fact that he was trying to hide his identity from her. He could have used her care a few years ago, back when his father just perished. Now he could hardly feel anything so even her care would go to waste.

She knew him so well, maybe better than himself. Every word that she said was true, he would never give it to anyone without a good reason and that reason had to be real good to be worth the knife Light gave him. What would she think how he got it, maybe she thinks that he killed Hope and took it from him? Maybe he found the corpse of the lost Hope Estheim and claimed the knife as his own? So many possibilities and with him being Hope Estheim himself, they all seemed ridiculous.

"Let's just say that Hope and I were close, like real close. I understood him better than anyone else just like he understood me better than anyone else. We never lied to each other, held no secrets to each other, until the l'Cie thing. When he came out of crystal stasis we spent days catching up, every little detail was shared. And then his father died. I tried to help him the best way I could but the only time I managed to see him was before he vanished.

He told me that I should wait for someone called Claire Lightning "Light" Farron. I was supposed to bring her to see everyone that missed her. He told me to take you to Lt. Amodar, who thinks about you like his own daughter. He told me to take you to Sazh and Dajh, who was like the father of your bunch. I was told to take you to Snow who still fights for his place as your brother. And I was told to take you to your sister, the one that was the reason you took all of this upon you, the one, who has waited the longest for you to come. I was told to bring you home.

That was when he gave me this knife, that was when I made a promise, I promised to take you to your family so it would be whole once again."

His voice went silent at the end, sounding almost like the words spread pain through his core for reasons that are deeper than the eye sees. He sounded so strained, like speaking those words was like slowly stabbing himself with a dagger.

Lightning, upon hearing this, tensed up. Her eyes fixed upon the back of the head of the stranger. She wasn't sure in what way this man was related to her and her friends/family or with Hope. She narrowed her eyes. On one side he seemed to have been through a lot and he knows things that no other person beside of her and Hope knew. So this man couldn't have killed Hope for she knew that he would only tell those things out of his own will.

"I will trust you… for now."

"Thank you." He replied.

"I have to thank you." She answered to his surprise.

"What for?" he asked.

"For being there for Hope when I could not and for still doing what he asked although he's…" she wouldn't say dead or anything until she knew for sure.

"gone." He finished for her.

She nodded although he couldn't see. He slightly turned his hooded head towards her and told her:

"We will leave in the morning, you should rest."

She could swear she saw one tiny strand of silver hair poking out of the hood when he said that. Deciding to dwell on this later, she answered:

"Where are we headed?"

"For now, we will go to New Cocoon and visit Lt. Amodar and report in and then we'll go to the residence of Serah Villiers. That's where our paths shall part and I take my leave. I will see to it that you arrive there safely and have Amodar look into how you will live before I leave. My escort ends at the door though, no talk with your family or thanks or anything, I am not all that good with people."

He said and waited for her to reply. Serah…Villiers? So they already married huh? She was just about to open her mouth to ask when they married when he seemed to have read her mind:

"Don't worry she isn't married or hasn't got any children yet. She wanted to wait until you came back for all that stuff. They live together though and because they are as good as man and wife she agreed to take his name. Officially she is still Serah Farron though, your more or less younger sister."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"What do you think? Well, it's been what, 10 years? She is 28 now, a fully grown woman. Even Hope would be older than you now; I think 22 or something like that? Even Dajh is almost all grown up, sweet sixteen. Almost everyone is older than you now, crystal lady."

Ouch… that stung. Even Hope, the one she swore to protect would be older than her. Her baby sister was now actually 7 years her senior, ironically exactly the age gap of her and Hope during their l'Cie adventure. This would make her one of the youngest, now that she finally awoke. She wouldn't let anyone belittle her for being younger though. If they dared they could see whether she was still so young when her fist is in their face.

"Right." Was all she said before she went back into the tent.

"Don't let it get you down though, in their heart you're still the strong solder that everyone can count on, not some little girl who needs anyone's protection. We will head out when the sun rises so the bigger monsters won't be awake yet. Make sure you use the sleep to charge your batteries, even though it's just through plains it'll be a tough walk. I'll wake you up when we have to go." He called out to her and she just replied by falling onto her bedroll. Only now did she notice that it was the only bedroll she could see. The tent had enough space to fit two people if only for them to have to be inches apart. This made her curious to where he would sleep so she decided to voice her concerns:

"Where will you sleep, I can only see one bedroll in here?"

"I will keep watch, don't worry about it I can keep this up for a week if I have to."

Not entirely satisfied with his answer but too tired to argue Lightning decided to just fall asleep and worry about all this later.

As the next day arrived, the first rays of light were about to shine when Lighting has been once again disturbed from her sleep. One wouldn't guess it but even though she was a light sleeper in general, she would get very grumpy if you tried to wake her. So it wasn't all that surprising that she awoke, but punched the person who dared to disturb her. What she didn't expect though was that her fist was blocked by a hand, which used her fist to pull her roughly to her feet.

She groaned at the rough awakening. Slowly her eyes adjusted to the sunlight as she wobbly stood on her feet, looking around. True, being a tough soldier she should be on her feet in no time and always be on full alert but well, crystal stasis is exhausting, even if you are sleeping the whole time. The moment a voice called out to her, she went to full alert, ready for action:  
>"Snap out of it woman, we have been followed by hunters. They're about one hour s march away from us. Unless you want to confront them I would advise for us to move NOW."<p>

Although she was still sore, she would have to deal with it. She wouldn't dare to engage any fights yet. She would only be more of a liability than she already is. Settling with the current situation, she voiced the question that was on her mind:

"Where will we go?"

"The border of New Cocoon is about one day march away from us; we will try and lay down for the night until the coast is clear, then we will go to GCHQ. You think you can keep up?"

Returning his smirk, she replied:

"Don't underestimate me, I may just have come out of crystal stasis but I'm still a soldier."

His smirk only widened at that as he set to head out:

"Don't think of this as anything of the like you went through, that was ten years ago, this is a totally different thing. You just wait; you'll get what I mean. We can't let our pace slow though, if I notice you slacking, I tell you now that I will take you and carry you if it means us being faster, got it?"

She huffed.

"As if I'd let you carry me around. Who are you to even think that I'd let you?"

"I didn't say that you could choose whether I'd carry you or not, I said that I'd do so."

She crossed her arms. With one last glance back he said:

"Let's go."

**So this is the new chap and yeah, hope you like it. I really hope that it was kind of understandable and not like the one where they were like having visions and so on. I don't know if anyone reads these author's notes but well, at least you can tell what they are. Can you guys tell me if it's bold in the chap cause our friend AssassinZAssassin told me to make them bold and well, I don't really read my chaps cause I already know them and yeah pls tell me if it's bold? XD**

**See you next time, if you want to, and yeah thanks for reading (and hopefully reviewing :3)**


	5. Chapter 5: is not

**Don'T have much to say to this, new chap have fun and sorry for delay.  
>Disclaimer: I don't own FFXIII only this story's plot and my ideas :3<strong>

"_I didn't say that you could choose whether I'd carry you or not, I said that I'd do so."_

_She crossed her arms. With one last glance back he said:_

"_Let's go."_

Chapter 5: is not

Lightning didn't exactly know what happened or why, all she knew was that there were some things called "hunters" and that those things were one hours march away from them. Judging from the fact that they are trying to avoid those hunters, by running away, she concluded that these, most likely people, were no allies.

It takes a toll on her that much Hope could see. The fact that she was still frozen in crystal but a day ago, her muscles stiff from a decade of being unused and the decrystalisation process not even complete, it was more than understandable that she would be slowed down. Even then they could not slow down. They were not ready to engage in a fight yet. She was still too weak and he cannot afford to look out for her while his body is still weakened. The hunters chose the worst time to be on his tracks, and so, without any other choice, he chose to run. Until they reached the outer sectors they could not rest.

Glancing back, seeing Light lacking by a few paces he called out to her:

"Are you alright?"

She was too busy with running to respond so she chose to just nod.

They have been running for about 2 hours now, no bush or tree in sight, nothing where they could hide and rest. It would take them another hour to arrive at the outskirts so they couldn't lack now. But still their progress was little. The hunters have steadily gained ground and were now barely 10 minutes away from the pair.

If this went on they would be caught within the next half hour. This could not happen or Hope might have to resort to using means that he would later regret. He would rather avoid that, for now. Seeing as Light was slightly lagging behind, he chose to take her bridal style and run.

Lighting was lagging behind, that much she knew. She was both mentally and physically exhausted. Being thrown into a new world takes quite a toll on people. Her vision was starting to slowly fade as it beat to her heartbeat, rapidly pumping in her chest. Thus she was fairly surprised, but too weak to protest as she was suddenly scooped up in the arms of Assassin and swiftly carried along the vast empty field.

"What are you doing? Put me down!"

she tried to argue, but even as she beat weakly on his chest, she grew tired and gave way.

"I already told you that I would carry you if it was necessary. I don't know about you but I do not wish to be involved into a fight while I am still not fully capable. So unless you can pull a transportation vehicle out of the blue I am not going to let you down."

For a brief moment she wondered what he meant with not fully capable but she decided that she could worry about it later. Seeing as they were indeed a lot faster while he carried her, she tried to make herself as small as possible to reduce her air resistance. This resulted in her pressing her face into his chest as she could hear his rapid heartbeat drumming in her ears.

Hope felt her push herself into his chest and couldn't help but wonder why. Sure it would improve their aero dynamics, but the improvement was so little that it hardly helped them to outrun the hunters. He knew that they wouldn't be able to outrun them in open terrain so his only hope was, to run into the little forest that held a little lake for native monsters to rest and drink.

It took them about five minutes to arrive in the oasis, large trees growing and limiting the line of sight. This gave them a time advantage of maybe a quarter hour of more if they chose their actions right. Hope carried Light piggy-back style so that he would be less limited when he ran.

Lighting watched over his shoulder as they walked in a small forest that was unknown to her. She glanced around as she tried to find anything that could tell her where exactly she was right now or who and where these hunters could be. There were leaves rustling and all kinds of animals were making noises in the trees.

All of the sudden everything went quiet. Hope came to an abrupt halt. He glanced around and his body tensed up. For a while all that could be heard was the low and even breathing of them. No movement could be seen, not even the leaves stirred. Then a low wind washed over them, sending small shivers of anticipation up their backs. They were fully alert, they knew that danger was around, they could almost taste it, grasp it with their fingers. The wind had passed and our main protagonists were ready to move at the slightest alarm going off in their minds.

Out of nowhere a Feral Behemoth smashed through the trees.

Hope barely managed to dodge horns as it growled at them. Landing safely a few feet away, he risked a glance at the beast.

It was several feet long and towered above them, twice his size. It was a shiny black color as two long, red eyebrows fluttered behind it. Four long and extremely sharp claws hung at each paw of the beast, its spit flowing out of its razor sharp mouth. Small tremors could be felt as it took its long and strong breaths. Low growls echoed through their ears, the smell of dried blood rushing out of its mouth.

Hope knew that showing any sign of fear or hesitation would result in the Behemoth charging at him. He could not risk that, not while Light was still on his back. Slowly taking a few steps back, he gently set her down and finally got his arms free to draw his large gunblade.

"Stay behind a tree or something. I am in no condition to protect you right now so I would appreciate it if you would stay clear of the battlefield." He told her, not taking his eyes off the Behemoth.

Her pride got into her way as she replied:

"I can watch out for myself. I am fully capable of fighting a behemoth. If you forgot, it was me who trained Hope. I was the one to protect him during our journey, so I believe myself to be capable of handling a Feral Behemoth."

He closed his eyes shortly as he smiled:

"That is right, you did train Hope but as I told you this is not like ten years ago. You just sit back and watch. You'll get what I mean real soon." As he said that, he opened his eyes again, the Behemoth roaring at him.

He took one last glance back as they both charged his gunblade in his right hand, a smirk on his lips. With a lout clash they collided, teeth against metal, paws against flesh. Hope shook slightly from the impact, his left hand barely protected against the razor sharp paw. He pushed against the monster and did a backflip as he gracefully landed back on the ground. A few green glowing shells fell to the ground as they seemed to evaporate and vanish after a short moment. The gunblade shone a soft green, like fire running along the weapon.

Lighting stared in wonder at the weapon. What kind of gun was that? It didn't seem to use any bullets or anything, but the soft glow was seemingly just there. It was a beautiful weapon and she could only wonder who the Assassin was to have such a weapon and skill. She quickly focused back onto the battle as it continued.

The behemoth roared as the bullet holes stopped smoking, barely going through its armor at all. From the look of it, it only penetrated about an inch of the plate. Getting ready, the behemoth went on two feet and swiped at its prey with its massive paws.

Hope managed to dodge it, constantly firing off bullets into the monster only to anger it even more. As its paw went at him again, him still being in mid-air, he had no chance to dodge it and instead had to block it with his gunblade. He was sent at the ground, his hand digging into the earth as his gunblade grasped at something to hold onto.

He gritted his teeth, his left arm grasping his right shoulder in pain. The right shoulder started to glow very faintly, barely seeable to the eye. But when he grasped his shoulder, something else was clearly visible. On the upper side of his hand, beneath the glove, there was green smoke rising out of the cloth. It seems like something got burned and judging by the green color, it was no normal burn.

Hope snarled at the behemoth, and raised his gunblade to strike again, the weird smoke started to engulf his arms and ran along his shoulders into the gunblade. He hissed audibly and his jaws seemed to tremble slightly from the pain.

The gunblade charged a glowing green color as it radiated energy. The behemoth growled and prepared to charge. Lightning watched, paralyzed, never taking her eyes off the fight.

"Bring it on!" Assassin screamed at the behemoth, gaining a roar as response.

The behemoth charged and the man just calmly stood there, waiting for, what seemed to be, death's embrace. At the last moment, he took a step forward, ramming his gunblade into the beast's mouth, firing off an enormous bullet of the green energy the man hoisted.

Blood splattered out of the mouth, yet some kind of shield surrounded the assassin, deflecting every drop of the red liquor that threatened to stain his clothes. A deafening roar and a smirk later, the assassin pulled out his gunblade from its mouth, blood splattering the soaked ground.

He turned around and prepared to sheathe his gunblade when something happened that he did not foresee.

Lighting watched in awe as the man singlehandedly finished off a behemoth, killing it with only one attack. When he prepared to sheathe his weapon, back turned to the beast, her eyes widened. It was not dead, and was about to ambush her traveling companion. Without thinking, she dashed towards the beast, gunblade drawn, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

When he saw Light dash past him, gunblade in hand, he suddenly felt a small change in energy as the seemingly dead behemoth rose again. He knew that she didn't stand a chance so he as fast as he could, turned around and ran as fast as he could.

Lighting's eyes widened when she was about to deliver the last blow. The beast had more life left than she thought as its maw charged at her so fast, that she didn't have time to dodge. Looking fate into the eye, she uttered one last thought:

'Seems like he was right when he said I was not up to it. I did one of the most obvious mistakes in fighting. Never underestimate your opponent. This mistake will now cost me my life… I'm sorry Serah, for not being able to see you again.'

She closed her eyes, awaiting the consequences for her mistake when she, instead of the hot, tearing bites of the knives that were its fangs, felt something warm on her sides and then wind rush past her ears as she felt the hard ground impact with her just a moment later. Hot red liquid splattered on her face, eyes widened in shock.

Her gunblade was stuck in the ground next to her; long gashes ran along its blade, marks of the fangs of the behemoth grazing along the blade. Lighting lay on the ground, blood covering her like a crimson blanket, eyes wide open in surprise.

Hope had run at her, throwing her out of the way of the behemoths maw. This action wasn't without consequences though, but worth it. In midair, when he pushed her out of the way, the maw that targeted Lighting instead sank its hungry razors into his side.

He gritted his teeth in pain. Slowly but surely his bones gave way and cracked under the beast's muscular jaw. Hidden by the mouth of the beast, Hope could feel how his skin burst underneath the pressure of the fangs, blood pouring out of the jaw of his captor. Hope didn't know whether it was just his imagination but he could practically feel little pieces of his flesh withering inside of his overflowing blood.

Hope didn't expect the sensations he felt when he got injured. It's like walking into your room, expecting it to be like usual only to see that it is completely different. For the first moment one is shocked, unable to do anything. He was pretty much used to pain but out of some reason this one was different. Right before the maw closed in on his flesh he braced for the razor teeth and tensed up his muscles. That method usually grants him the ability to suppress the momentary shock of being injured. But this time, just for a moment his body went into shock, eyes slightly widened, the whole body tensed up and teeth gritted.

Lightning could only stare as the blood ran down her face. It wouldn't be anything new if it were her own blood but this time, this time it was not, it was the blood of the guy who helped her ever since she came out of crystal stasis. He was the one who protected her in this new world, where she had to admit that she was helpless.  
>Slowly putting up a hand to her face she came into contact with the warm liquid. Just as slowly she removed her hand and stared at it, hands and breath shaking, eyes wide and mouth dry. Limp her hand fell to her side as she looked up at the sky for a moment, breathing out, looking at the monster and finally looking at the momentarily shocked Hope, who of course was still known as <em>the Assassin<em> to her. Finally her gaze went back to her hands that were slowly regaining feeling.

Hope warily stood up, the moment of shock gone and giving his body a little time to heal, he picked up his monstrous gunblade again. Gritting his teeth he hissed as a green vapor seemed to flow out of his mouth, on his left arm where his L'Cie brand used to be it lit up in green, running up his arm to his right hand where he grasped his weapon. Charged, the gun left green waves in the air as it cracked and burned with energy. His hair seemed to grow a bit as an invisible aura seemed to engulf him, his eyes sharp and focused as they too shone in a green light.

He held up his right hand to his face, slowly dragging it across his face as his once calm face now replaced with a primal grin, malice showing on his handsome features. Then with a quick swipe he ran his hand down his right arm as runes appeared on it, big, running all over his arm. As he flicked his wrist the weapon roared with energy, finally the runes reaching their end at the peak of the gunblade.

Once again slashing out with his left hand he caused a slight rip of energy in front of him. He kept his "claw" on his side as he roared at the beast. The beast replied with a roar of its own as they suddenly charged. Lightning could only watch. His strength seemed to have increased by miles. Before barely being able to block a swing of the beast with his gunblade, now he could stop these mighty talons with just a finger. His fighting style was primal but strong and of course effective. The progression was unreadable, swing with gunblade, swipe with claw, shot, kick, claw energy wave attack, slash combo… it didn't have any specific scheme but that might be what makes it so effective.

The beast roared a pained as it was once again hit by the demon that he unleashed. The tiny human was besting a mighty beast in not only strength but also in something that could only be called class. There was some kind of unwritten chain that determines one's class in the world of the beasts, but this _demon_ was several classes above him. While that tiny human was astonishingly able to fight on par while in "human" form, now it completely outclassed him.

Hope barely knew what he was doing. Subconsciously he fought against this beast, following some primal instinct that was stored inside of him. His sight was sharper; hearing more defined and smell more sensitive. But still in the back of his mind he knew that this metamorphosis was extremely straining on his body, but he had no choice. Through the shock impulse his muscles cramped which would decrease his movement and reaction time by 20% which he could not afford in a fight with a native beast. So his only choice was to unleash his demon and hope to end the fight before he would bear lasting after effects.

The total fight only lasted a few minutes before the once mighty beast lay as a bloody heap on the floor of the little jungle. Wounds were burning green as Hope stood in front of his kill roaring in victory. But all too soon he would receive the punishment for using his abilities. Suddenly his knees gave way as he tried to hold himself up with his gunblade. His transformation faded as the green vapor flow stops and disappears in the air. Shaking his gunblade too gave way and he lay on the ground, barely able to twitch with his finger.

Lightning ran as fast as she could to her comrade, a few remains of her crystallization cracking, shooting pain through her limbs but she ignored it. Reaching him she tried to check him for any sign of life. Relief and a sigh escaped her as she found that he was still breathing. She shook him and tried to get him to get up. But then he said something that surprised her. 

"You are not safe here, they will come soon. Run towards the North, there lies the city of New Eden. Go there and ask for GC HQ, Amador will know what to do."

She was about to say something as he shouted:  
>"GO!"<br>And with that his last bit of consciousness left and darkness filled him.

**So finally after a few ages I got a new chap out :D Duh you guys don't even know how busy I was. Monday till Friday school till 5 and then lots of homework, Saturday guitar lessons and Chinese lesson and Sunday studying. Not that any of you really wants to know that crap but well duh its freakin hard to find time to write. So heres a big chap with 3.2k words and well have fun with it, tell me if you like it and as always R&R**

**Cheers,**

**Shinku**_**humhuhh**_**hualskdlkaödfsjalsd**


	6. Chapter 6: who I

**Final Fantasy XIII: Out of the Darkness**

**ALRIGHT so here's a new chapter. Took ages I know. But just so you know I don't have internet at my place right now… for like three weeks already. Make sure that you READ THE BOTTOM A/N and you will be good. If not… well your loss. Without further delay lets head back into our story shall we. Please make sure that you have your seatbelt fastened and secured. Keep your hands and feet inside of the wagon and face front. Children, pregnant or elderly people ride on their own risk. Welcome to Out of the Darkness Chapter 6. Enjoy your ride and have fun!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT F*ING OWN FINAL FANTASY! **I merely own the plot and characteristics of this story :P

"_You are not safe here, they will come soon. Run towards the North, there lies the city of New Eden. Go there and ask for GC HQ, Amador will know what to do."_

_She was about to say something as he shouted:  
>"GO!"<br>And with that his last bit of consciousness left and darkness filled him._

**Chapter 6: who I**

Lightning moved to catch him as he fell over. With a swift motion of her feet she dashed towards him and under a slight gasp of pain, caught him in her arms. A few trails of blood ran down her partly crystalline form.

"Shit, I still got crystals on me and they aren't entirely smooth so the spikes will scratch his wounds. I guess he'll just have to handle it until I found shelter."

Not long after she could already tell that carrying her companion piggyback style, running around without any real sense of orientation and freshly out of stasis was not the best idea she ever had. Her body was still stiff and tired as it has not moved an inch in the last ten years. Everything was aching as sharp stabs of pain hit her every now and then when the crystals on her form gained yet another crack to, given time, fall and free her from their weight.

She knew that she most probably was not going to make it far and she also knew that she would most likely have to fight these _Hunters_ the Assassin talked about. Even though Lighting Farron was a confident person, waking up and finding yourself in a completely different world, being useless against even the most common creatures native to this land, she was insecure. Her safest bet was that she would be able to keep running long enough to be within reach of the city so that the GC would be able to assist her once she was attacked. All she had to do is get there fast enough and hold out until they arrive… a very unlikely thing to happen.

Behind them, in a deep forest lurked a group of dark clad men. They knew their target well thus they proceeded with caution. In a small clearing surrounded by the thick wall of trees lies the freshly abandoned battlefield. Blood was splashed everywhere as the grass burnt a shining green. Drops of a glowing green liquid fell onto the grass as a large puddle appeared next to a gigantic, dismembered corpse. The foul stench of rotting meat in the blazing sun hit their nostrils. The eyes were burning, the hands tingling as a constant stinging sensation overwhelmed their bodies.

One of the men crouched and stuck his fingers into the green puddle, examining it with his fingers. One sniff, one cautious taste followed by a disgusted spit and the man got up again.

"It's him. As it seems he used his battle form too early. His transformation is incomplete we can use this to our advantage."

Another crouched down and examined the battlefield, so many different patterns, and so many trails. As his critical eyes analyzed what was before him, his eyes narrowed.

"He was not alone."

Heads turned to the spot where his eyes rested upon.

"Explain."

"There are two different foot imprints, two different types of blood as well. As it seems he has company, female if I were to judge. She fights with a gunblade judging from the shards of metal that were blasted off upon impact. My guess is that it is an old model called the 'Blazefire Sabre'. The person is still in decrystalization process. There are little shards everywhere. "

"That shouldn't be a problem for us."

Then from the back came one more voice.

"She's Guardian Corps. I found a ragged piece of the old uniform. It's not much, barely a scrap but it's enough for me to tell for sure."

"Well this changes everything now doesn't it. She could have vital information or she could be a strong asset to their strike force. Either way we cannot let them reach New Cocoon. Move out NOW!" came the sharp reply of who seemed to be the leader and the group of five left hot on the trail of our injured heroes.

Maybe she was going paranoid or maybe it was just the fact that she just awoke, but her, what she would like to be her soldier's instincts for insanities sake, told her that something was coming. She adjusted her grip on her companion and moved faster, despite the stabbing pain all over her body.

Sweat gathered on her forehead as it slowly trickled down her soft face. Underneath the blazing light of the sun she continued to march, carrying a stranger on her back, on the way to a city that she didn't even know if it existed. Indeed her companion had told her where to go but proof that there really was a city was nonexistent. The earth secreted a constant wave of heat that caused her vision to go blurry. Mouth dry and barely any fluid left in her to keep her throat from drying out, she kept on marching panting with every step she took.

Hope had different matters to worry about for his mind chose to show him visions of his past. Visions that he would rather leave forgotten:

The sun made its way over the horizon as its last rays shone to engulf the world in a warm light. Atop of a plain grass hill were gathered a group of people. They stood in two lines facing each other.

On the right side was an older person, aging lines showing on his face. His eyes have long lost their shine and now hold a dim light of wisdom. He has done his part in the military and is ready to retire by the looks of it. The shining sign of a Lieutenant shone on his shoulder as he crossed his arms behind his back waiting patiently. Clad in a full uniform his presence deemed him respect if not for his rank in the military then for his personality. Something about him gave off this certain air that would make one respect him.

Right next to him to his right was a teenage boy. His eyes glistered in the sunlight like emeralds. Through the blinding rays of light his shadow shone with smooth platinum hair as a bead of sweat ran down his pale skin. The boy's breathing was ragged with nervousness, hands shaking. Even if his appearance was that of a normal teenage boy, his eyes said differently. They were not innocent like those of a child neither did they hold this glint of wisdom. Fortunately his eyes were still radiant and lively for the cold blooded battle could have made them lose life and become hollow. No, his eyes were unique. They held something of a mix between the shine of a child and the glint of a sage. It's like the perfect middle that goes so deep that one could peer into these emerald depths and lose oneself in the abyss of his soul.

On each side of the two men stood one lone guard, armed with an assault rifle, standing straight without any movement. Their watchful eyes were scanning the environment for things that did not belong into this picture.

Opposite of the line of four was another line positioned parallel of the other, the members facing the other group. In the middle of the two lines the sun slowly made it's descend to let the moon take over for her its shift.

In the middle of the left line was a middle aged man. His clothing was worn and tattered but decent. He stood straight, his slim glasses giving off a glint from the sunlight. His eyes were covered by the glasses and besides of the clothes not much could be seen besides of one little spark on his left hand, a wedding ring. The man's brown hair was combed back and his arms were hanging loosely at his sides.

Next to the man again two guards keeping their watch, eyes sharp and one finger on the trigger. It was a plain field surrounding them and besides of the one leafless tree behind the two there wasn't anything else much on the grassy plain.

A breeze waved over the grassy hill as silence struck the two groups.

"Are you Lt. Amodar?" the man on the left finally called out.

"Indeed I am. So you must be Mr. Estheim then." The man on the right said.

The man called Mr. Estheim just nodded.

"Is that my son?" he called out.

A slight chuckle escaped the Lieutenant.

"Do you not recognize your own son anymore Mr. Estheim?"

The trace of a smile went over the face of the man in question.

"Some things are hard to believe. It is always best to be sure before making yourself vulnerable. You should know that better than me Lt. Amodar."

"A human's first survival instincts never trust anybody. In times like these your cautiousness isn't surprising. On the contrary I myself am wondering who I can trust and who I can't. We were all thrown into this new world, finally free of our chains. Can I trust you Mr. Estheim?"

As expected the Lieutenant knew his way with words. His high position demands him to know how to argue with politicians and the likes, those who knew nothing of the cold stab of death and battle. Those high class people who were nothing but talk required a bit of word twisting skill to persuade. Mr. Estheim being a business man of course had his fair share of experience as well. Thus the two men gave off an invisible battle for dominance and trust.

"Of course Lieutenant, after all we should all work together to create a new world for us to live in."

"True, but we have gathered here today for a different matter…"

Lightning grunted. She did not know why but ever since the moment she awoke from her slumber the remaining crystals that should have fallen or melted behaved abnormally. They should have broken or cracked or anything to reduce their size but from the moment she got up from her rest in the tent they seemed to increase or at least change. Even as she took one quick glance at her shoulder right now she could see the effects. The crystals have started to grow outwards and developed spikes, lots of crystalline spikes that stabbed not only the unknown man she carried on her back but also her chest as well as the whole area that was still covered in crystal.

The sun shone blindingly bright in her eyes. Being in stasis for so long her eyes have grown accustomed to being in the shadow. Until now they have only conversed at night and headed through thick forest or in the early morning when the light was still weak. Her head throbbed from the light as sweat trickled down her forehead and into her eyes. Her chest heaved as her lungs ached. She could swear that she was puffing out crystal dust through her parched throat.

Lightning has been running for hours and she knew that the hunters were right on her heels. They were probably one mile apart two max. She dared not look back since that would mean that she would slow down a little bit for one tiny moment. In this condition she could not afford to lose one inch of distance between them so she would rather not know. She could not hear any other footsteps or the sound of any other means of transportation so she hoped that they were still safe. The city, or at least the only thing that looked more or less like civilization out here, was still at least a six hours march away. With luck she would be able to find some kind of patrol unit in four hours that would be able to help her but for now she would have to run.

The little boy squirmed nervously. All of the sudden everyone's attention drifted towards him… and it made him nervous. He glanced back and forth between Mr. Estheim and Lt. Amodar. Both were staring at him for a moment until, to his relief, they chose to stare each other in the eye.

"I do believe we should save the talk about future plans for later and move to more… _urgent_ matters now." Mr. Estheim started.

"Are you aware of all the consequences and responsibilities you are taking on?" Amodar spoke up.

"Yes I am."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes sir."

"While it is most important that you are confident and knowing of all the aspects of this life changing decision, I cannot help but voice my concern over this act." The Lieutenant slowly stated.

"It almost sounds like you are making an accusation Lieutenant." Mr. Estheim crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well that depends on one owns interpretation but I am sure that you get what I mean." A slight grin could be seen at the edges of his mouth, almost daring, provocative even.

"Are you doubting my abilities?" even though Mr. Estheim kept his voice steady a slight little tweak was audible, almost like a whisper that made one wary of the situation.

"No not at all. It is not your abilities I doubt. I am sure that you are capable of providing for another person that was never in question. But how can I be sure that things won't end like last time? In life one hardly ever gets any second chances but you did. How can I be sure that you won't fail like before?"

A silence again struck the scene. Somewhere in the distance one a cry was heard. Maybe it was a Hyena, maybe something else. Mr. Estheim pushed his glasses up a bit and sighed.

"He told you didn't he?"

Amodar raised an eyebrow and was about to reply when the brown haired man continued.

"…about our past?"

This time it was Amodar's turn to sigh as he stared at the ground for a moment. As he looked back up he replied:

"Yes, yes he did."

"I know that I have made mistakes. I know that times have been difficult and that if we were to try and form a bond it would be very awkward at first but I believe that we can do it. Going through Nora's… all of this has made me realize what matters the most. I used to be so focused on my work, always trying to succeed and go as high as I could. I just never realized that all I wanted is for my family to have it good and be happy. I know that now and regret my choices."

A lone tear slid down the young boy's cheek as its crystalline form fell onto the soft grassy ground. Mr. Estheim stared at the spot where the tear had landed as his eyes seemed to zone out. After a moment Amodar spoke up again:

"That's all fine and well but would you really think that he would want to go back to you? You have failed at your job and lost track of what was important. He focused his attention on his mother and the moment she died you were not there, and why? You were busy chasing after success.

He has faced challenges where most would have abandoned hope and perished but he succeeded. Your son has made bonds with people that care about him, people that cherish and protect him so why would he need you? After he awoke from crystal stasis, the whole time Serah has been looking out for him. She has taken care and comforted him. She is barely three years older than him and is like his second mother. Even moments before we headed out to meet you I had her at my back shooting worried questions and doubts at me. Not only her, little Dajh has found a big brother in him as well. They play together do things together, things that you never had time for.

Even I care more about him than what you did the last fifteen years. He is like a son to me. I always watched out for the Farrons and always will. Since he has gotten his place in their little family, our little family, I cared and protected him. Now how can I go to bed at night feeling assured that he is alright and well? Give me something that I can hold onto to know that he will be alright."

Another tear slid down the young teen's face as a comforting hand held onto his shoulder. He looked up, as Amodar glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. It was small but he was able to see it. A warm smile was directed at the little boy and he nodded. Facing back front the helpless father was at a loss of words for a moment. Then slowly he stared at the ground and gave his own little speech:

"I can't. My words hold little meaning as only an act can show that I will keep what I promised. Yet that requires that I were to be given a chance. I can't give you anything or make any promises for those would just be empty. I might not be able to provide you with a warm meal every day or even enough shelter for you to be warm but I will try my best.

I am a poor man and I don't expect that you to feel like following me but know that I will try. If somewhere you can find it in you to give this old man another chance I will try my best to not let you down. I understand that you have your family here and that you would be far better off staying with them… staying without me but if you are able to at least let me try I hope that we can become closer.

I just want to be a father that you can be proud of. But nonetheless the thing I want the most is for you to be happy so you will have to decide this on your own. Choose well and choose carefully for this is something that will change your life forever."

Bartholomew Estheim was trembling, tears almost breaking down in front of this group of people, desperately trying to do things right. As father and son stared at each other the moment that would decide everything approached. After long thought the answer was finally presented:

"Alright dad, I am ready to give us another try. Let us try and start over as father and son. We will have nothing but us but we will manage. I am not sure if we can pull this off but someone once told me: _There's no such things as can or cant. Some things in life you just do. _I don't know if that is true so let's find out together."

"Hope…" came the barely audible whisper from Bartholomew.

"Dad…" came the young boy's cracking reply.

The two slowly made their approach towards each other and all seemed well. Yet things were not supposed to be for all of the sudden all things went down.

**Well that's it folks. Sorry for the long wait but I didn't have internet… still don't btw. Its been like three weeks and its srsly pissing me off right now cause you know I need that shit to up stuff an all. Thanks for tuning in and I hope you enjoyed the ride. Just so everyone knows there is this little section that I put in my profile to keep my readers updated. Look for Out of the Darkness and there I'll put up a lil summary for the next chap. Its like the summary of the beginning of the next chap so u guys can post a review on the current chap an tell me what u think will happen. I love those games an so I thought I'd put one up on my own stories. Anyways if you read it good if not here it goes again:**

**FYI GO TO MY PROFILE FOR AN ADVANCED UPDATE ON THE STORY PROGRESS. YOU WILL FIND A LITTLE TEASER FOR THE NEXT CHAP AND YOU CAN POST WHAT YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT CHAP IN YOUR REVIEW. THE LUCKY WINNER GETS AN EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEAK INTO THE CHAP**


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Final Fantasy XIII, Romance